A weekend marked by gloom for the Nice teams.
While the volleyball players had set the tone on Friday night with an easy victory (3-0) in Narbonne, against a team that already has one and a half feet in Ligue B for next season, the handball players the same evening were severely beaten at Charles Ehrmann by Besançon (24-36), suffering their 6th consecutive defeat and dropping to the second-to-last place in the standings.
Volley Nice continues its journey and is placed in the Top 8, a position that was unimaginable at the start of the season. Next Friday, they will host Toulouse at Palmera for a match that promises to be balanced.
No respite either for the Niss’Angels who cannot find a solution to cover the long-term absences of their key players.
The loss at Tarbes, against a team in the relegation zone, stings: 70-75 (14-12, 20-18, 14-17, 17-23 the partial scores).
With 17/24 free throws, 25/64 two-point shots, and 3/13 three-point shots, it’s clear why the defeats are piling up.
Maculay with 14 points, Kamba with 12 rebounds, and Bar with 5 assists were the top performers of a team that is losing its effectiveness.
The Nice team will challenge Montpellier next Sunday, a formidable opponent against whom they will need to be brave.
On the Eagles’ side, two consecutive defeats, on Friday in Lyon (0-2) and last night at Jean Bouin (3-5), have halted the momentum of this last period that had propelled Stan Sutor’s hockey players to the brink of the playoffs, also meaning staying in the Ligue Magnus next season.
After a goalless first period, the Aquitanians stepped up their game rhythm in the second period and took the lead: 2-0.
No turnaround in the final period either: the Eagles opened the score, but their opponents replied to bring it to 4-1, rendering the last goals on both sides useless.
Lachery, Montenoise, and Jérôme Romand added their names to the scoreboard for Nice.
In terms of standings, nothing is definitively compromised but… Moreover, it won’t be easy for the Nice team to gain points in Gap tomorrow night.
Finally, the rugby players of Stade Niçois won the derby against Saint-Raphael emphatically (49-14), securing the 4th place in their Fédérale 2 pool.
Next Sunday, the match of truth at Saint-Jean de Royans against a direct competitor for a qualifying spot for the playoffs for promotion.
